Decadent Dark Chocolate Strawberry Tarts

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There can't be many better combinations than dark chocolate and strawberry. I have been known (on several occasions!) to melt down whole bars of super dark chocolate and lavishly dip entire punnets of fresh strawberries into this creamy, bitter liquid. There is something so satisfying about the bitterness of dark chocolate and natural sweetness of ripe strawberries that makes my tastebuds sing! It was only logical to turn this cheeky treat into a real grown up dessert.

I wanted to create a chocolate tart that was super luscious and velvety but not overly sweet, so that fresh strawberries could add that fresh burst of flavour. A few experiments revealed that melted dark chocolate and coconut cream is a ridiculously good combination (surprise surprise). So these two ingredients are all that you'l' need for the rich filling of these tarts.

The crusts are a light and crunchy mix of almond meal and coconut which balances the richness of the filling just right.

These tarts are gluten + grain free, dairy free, vegan and can easily become sugar free if you use sugar-free dark chocolate and leave out the maple syrup in the crust. I like to use very high cacao chocolate for this recipe (around 85% or 90%), but if you aren't such a bitter fan, stick to somewhere between 40-70%. Let me know in the comments below if you can relate to this dark chocolate strawberry love affair and happy tarting!

Decadent Dark Chocolate Strawberry Tarts (Gf, Vg)

Ingredients

Tart crusts

1 cup almond meal

2/3 cup desiccated coconut

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted

pinch salt

Dark Chocolate Filling

180g dark chocolate (I like 85-90% cacao for this recipe)

270mL tinned cocount cream

Takes 30 min ,
serves 4-6.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C and grease three small or one medium tart tin

In a large bowl, combine all crust ingredients and mix until forming a dough

Using your hands, press the dough into the base of the prepared tart tin/s

Place crusts in the oven for 15 minutes, or until just golden, then remove from tins and place on a wire rack to cool

Meanwhile, melt chocolate in a double boiler or carefully in the microwave, stirring frequently

In the bowl of a mixer or using a hand whisk, add the coconut cream and melted chocolate and mix until well combined

Pour chocolate mixture into cooled tart shells

Scatter tarts with fresh strawberries and serve immediately (for a warm, runnier chocolate centre), or chill for at least 2 hours for a solid centre.